Waverly Public Schools introduces plan for $64 million bond after mass cut-downs from one prior

WAVERLY, Neb. (KLKN) – Prior to their bond meeting on Tuesday, the Waverly School Board conducted a phone survey of 300 registered voters in the district; the results pointed to high approval ratings.

Of those voters, 82% say the education quality in Waverly is excellent, and they trust the school board but 72%, agree that there is a need for the bond.

The total costs of all proposed projects will be $64 million, a $25 million reduction from the 2024 bond.

“I think the work that our board did, they had a lot of discussions on how we don’t want this to be about wants, we need them to be about needs,” said Dr. Cory Worrell, Superintendent of District 145-Waverly.

The largest share of the funds is going to Waverly High School, at over $47 million.

The smallest amount is going to one of the district’s elementary schools, at nearly $ 1.5 million.

District officials say they hope to enhance safety and security with controlled door access at all schools in the district.

“Safety has been a topic of conversation for years; we want to do all that we can to make sure our students are safe,” said Dr. Worrell.

Other components of the project include physical expansions, such as the cafeteria and additional spaces for people with disabilities.

The board also proposed expanding programming, such as career and technical programs.

The bond is estimated to be repaid over 20 years.

“I think we have one year where design will probably take about a year or a little longer, and we’ll have a couple of years of construction after that, so it’ll be about 3-4 years on getting everything done,” said Worley.

The school district also addressed property taxes, highlighting a property tax calculator on its website that shows how much impact the bond will have on property taxes.

Early voting begins on April 13, with the primary election happening on May 12.